Car coupler



April 1o, 1934.

H. H. sERvlc-E Er Al. Y 1

GAR COUPLER Filed Nov. 18, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dness 5. JMW

April l0, 1934. H. H. SERVICE Er Al. 1,954,578

CAR COUPLER Filed Nov. 18, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l jj A i wi; 24j

Patented Apr. 10, 1934 PATENT OFFICE CAR COUPLER Henry H. Service and Earl E. Chapman, Topeka, Kans.

Application November 18, 1929, Serial No. 407,868

1 Claim.

Our invention relates to couplers for railroad cars and more particularly to the lifter mechanism and to means whereby the lifter mechanism is held or locked against improper movement.

The objects and advantages of our invention will be readily comprehended from the following detailed description of the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a plan View of a coupler provided with our invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the coupler with our improvements; the coupler mechanism being shown in unlocked position.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View of the coupler with our improvements, illustrating the mechanism in locked position.

Figure 4 is a detail View showing our improved lifter latch in elevation and in unlocking position, in its association with the lifter element of 20 which merely the upper end is shown in sectional elevation and the upper part of the coupler-block in section.

Figure 5 is a sectional elevation of the coupler in the unlocked position shown in Figure 2, the inner or shank end of the head being broken away, the inner end of the lock shown in section and the lifter in elevation.

It has been found in train service that slack action frequently causes the coupler to rise or move vertically upward and then when brought to a stop, upon striking the top of the buffer plate, will cause the coupler locking element to rise from its locking position and allow the coupler-knuckle to open.

Our invention is designed to prevent this serious condition and to provide means which will ensure the coupler being held in coupling condition.

The invention, for purposes of exemplication, has been shown applied to what is known in the railroad art as a simplex car coupler; it being understood, however, that the invention may be applied to any of the well known types of freight car couplers.

In the particular exemplicaticn, the freight car coupler has the usual chambered coupler block or head to which the coupler knuckle l1 is pivotally connected to swing laterally.

The heel or rear portion l2 of the knuckle 11 is adapted to swing into the chamber of the coupler-block or head l0 when the mechanism is unlocked or released and the knuckle l1 swings laterally from the position shown in Figure 1 toward one side of the coupler. The heel or rear portion 12 of the knuckle 11, when the knuckle is in interengaging or coupling relation with the coupler-knuckle of an adjacent aligned car, is held against swinging or moving into the chamber in the coupler head by the free end of the couplerlock 13. The lock 13 is loosely held at its inner 60 end 14 so as to permit the enlarged end of the lock lto swing vertically from locking to unlocking position.

The lock member 13 is lifted by the lock lifter member 15, which heretofore was provided with an apertured upper end for receiving the usual control or crank-rodf-a portion of which is shown at 16 in Figure 1,-disposed transversely of the end of a freight car in order that it may be readily grasped and oscillated by the trainman from the side of the car.

These elements thus far refererd to, with the exception of our improved lifter, constitute the elements of well known freight car couplers.

Our invention contemplates a lock lifter member 15, the lower end or body whereof, as heretofore, is of the particular configuration shown adapted to perform the function of lifting the locking member 13 out of holding engagement with the lug or heel portion 12 of the coupler- 80 knuckle.

The upper end of the lifter member passes through a suitable opening or slot, as shown at 17, in the top of the coupler casting or head; the slot 17 being such that the lifter member may 85 be easily moved upwardly in the manner shown in Figure 2.

Our improved lock lifter 15 is lprovided with a bifurcated upper end or head thereby producing "the spaced lobes 18, 18, see Figure 1, which curve slightly toward the rear of the vertical axis of the lifter 15, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4. These lobes or bifurcations are provided with registering apertures to receive a rivet or pin as later described. The lifter below the lobes and on the opposite side is provided with the laterally disposed flange 19 which forms a stop or rest for the lifter; the flange 19 being of greater dimensions than the opening 17 in the coupler block or head 10, so that the flange 19 will rest on the 100 coupler head when the lifter element is down in coupler locking position.

In order to prevent the accidental unlocking of the coupler knuckle in the manner heretofore mentioned, we provide a safety latch member 20 which is adapted to fit between the bifurcations or lobes 18, 18 of the lifter member 15 as shown in Figure 1. The upper part of the latch member 20 is elongated to provide the ear 21 which is seated 1,10

between the lobes 18, 18 of the lifter 15; and the ear 21 has an aperture which is adapted to register with the apertures of the lobes for the purpose of receiving a pivot pin or rivet 22 for pivotally connecting the lifter member and safety latch together.

The elongated upper end of latch member 20 is also formed to produce the forwardly extending ear 23 which is provided with a hole 24 for the reception of the usual crank or control rod 16, as shown in Figure l.

The latch member 20 is provided with a depending hook portion 25 which is adapted to engage beneath the top of the coupler head, namely to engage beneath the portion 26 when the lifter Y is down in coupler locking position, as shown in Figure 3. The upper end of the lifter member 15 is slotted to a sulicient extent to permit free movement of the depending hook portion 25 within the slot. On the other hand, the rear edge of the depending hook portion 25 is adapted to engage with the shoulder or ange 19 of the lifter member and thus limit the oscillatory movement of the latch member 20 by the rotative movement of the control rod 16. Therefore, when control rod 16 is operated to eiect an uncoupling of cars, the hook-end 25 of latch member 20 will engage the flange or shoulder 19 and cause the lifter member 15 to move upwardly with the latch member into the unlocking position shown in Figures 2 and 4.

On the other hand, unless the control rod 16 is rotated in uncoupling direction by a trainman, or the latch member is deliberately pulled upwardly at the ear end 23 the safety latch member 2() will remain in locking relation with the portion 26 of the coupler-head and prevent accidental upward movement of the lifter member 15.

This will prevent accidental uncoupling of cars as heretofore mentioned and as frequently encountered with couplers as at present employed. An upward pull on the latch member 20, exerted at the point 24, will swing the latch into the position shown in Figure 4 where the hook-end is clear of the wall 26 of the coupler-head and hence permit the hook-end to pass upwardly through opening 17.

In order to prevent accidental upward movement of the lock member 13, we provide the lifter kmember 15, at a point intermediate of its ends,

with a laterally disposed lug 2'7 which is arranged to extend transversely of the top of the coupler lock 13. This lug 27 is arranged on the lifter so as to extend into the upward path of the lock member intermediate of its ends and positively holds the lock member down in coupler locking position; the position of the lug 27 on the lifter being such that in the event the reduced or tail end 14 of the lock member becomes broken, the enlarged head end of the lock 13 will be held in place against inward shifting of the lock member and hence serviceability of the draw-bar coupler will be maintained.

For uncoupling operation, an upward pull exerted on latch member 20 at the point 24 of ear 23 will swing latch 20 about the pivot point 22, until the depending hook-end 25 of latch 20 strikes the shoulder or lange 19, thereby transmitting the upward pull to the lifter member 15, causing it also to move upwardly and lift the lock member 13.

On the other hand, when the latch member is swung downwardly from the positions shown in Figures 2 and 4, lifter member l5 will also move downwardly and thereby drop the lock member 13. As soon as the lifter 15 and latch 20 have been fully released, the latch 20, by reason of its pivotal point being to one side of its vertical axis, will automatically swing toward the left in Figures 2 and 4 and bring the hook-end 25 beneath the top portion 26 of the coupler head so l that all possibility of accidental upward movement of the coupler element is eliminated and the accidental uncoupling of cars prevented.

What we claim isz- In a car coupler having a chambered head pro- Y vided with a slot in the top wall; a horizontally disposed lock member in the chamber having an enlarged free end and rearwardly tapering upper surface; a lifter member vertically arranged in the head with its upper end disposed through the slot in the top wall, the lifter being arranged to lift the enlarged end of the lock member and having a laterally disposed lug intermediate of its ends disposed over the tapered upper surface of the lock member rearward of its enlarged free end so as to prevent rearward movement of the lock member; a latch member having forwardly and rearwardly disposed ends at top and a depending hook portion in a plane intermediate of the vertical planes of said top-ends, the rearwardly disposed top end being pivotally secured to the upper end of the lifter member while the forwardly disposed top-end extends forward of the lifter and causes the latch member to automatically swing about its pivot and induce the depending hook portion to engage beneath the top wall of the head; and means whereby the lifter member is caused to move upwardly when the forwardly disposed end of the latch member is swung upwardly a predetermined extent.

HENRY H. SERVICE. EARL E. CHAPMAN. 

